Your Hand In Mine
by chiefsexecutiveofficer
Summary: When the team is put on a dangerous mission, lives are put in danger and relationships are at risk. Mix of Caskett fluff, angst, and action with some twists! Bad at summaries but please read! WIP
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I sadly do not own the perfection of the show that is Castle. If I did Caskett would have many beautiful children already and one of them would be named after me.

"Hey Espo what's the status of the Thurgood case?" Kate asked of her fellow detective, Javier Esposito, as he neared her desk at the 12th precinct.

"No leads, but they found the car from the video footage. It was reported stolen about a week ago and CSU is checking it for prints now," Esposito said as he sat in the chair by Kate's desk. "You look tired maybe you should head home and get some rest."

Kate slowly shook her head. "I can't. I need to catch up on paperwork and figure out what we're missing on this case."

"What you need to catch up on is sleep," Esposito said, his concern for his friend showing through.

With a faint smile, Kate began to get back to work however another one of her good friends, Detective Kevin Ryan walked up to her and chimed in, "You really should go home Beckett. We'll let you know if anything shows up on the case."

Frustrated but grateful for her friends' show of concern, Kate decided that maybe it would be for the best if she went home. "Alright you two are right. I'll go home but you better tell me if any leads pop up or I'll tell everyone at the precinct about the pudding incident," she said in a teasingly threatening tone.

"Yes ma'am!" Ryan and Esposito said simultaneously, grinning at the woman who was like a sister to them.

Walking out of the precinct for the first time in several days, Kate found herself blinded by the morning sun. She hadn't even realized what time it was. Everything in her life was such a mess right now that losing herself in her work had become her escape from it all. Kate decided that, being as tired as she was, riding her motorcycle home wouldn't be the smartest idea, so she hailed a cab to go home. When the cab pulled up, Kate was surprised at who she found sitting inside of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Castle and Beckett live in a fictional world that I have no control over because they aren't my characters and belong to the evil Andrew Marlowe who wants to torture us all and probably sits at home laughing maniacally at how much angst he causes the fandom.

"Castle?" Kate said, startled.

"The one and only," Castle replied with one of those stupid grins on his face that Kate had come to love over their years of working together.

"What are you-" Kate began before being interrupted.

"I'm going to work what are you doing?"

A confused look came over Kate's face, "But I-"

"You didn't call me I know. I'm hurt really. Since you didn't call I don't even get to see the body," Castle said with a mock frown painted on his ruggedly handsome face. "Anyways, are you leaving? After I came all this way just to see you?"

"Hey you two this is not the place for a reunion," the cab driver growled.

Kate shot a quick glance at the cabbie before looking back at Castle and saying, "What?", still confused about everything going on.

"Kidding," Castle said as he stepped out of the cab and stood next to Kate. Since she wasn't wearing as high of heels as she usually did, she was almost a head shorter than him. "I came to find killers and put them behind bars. But really are you going? What am I to do without my partner?"

Partner. The word rang in the air for a few seconds before the angry cab driver yelled "Hey! Where's my fare buddy?"

Not wanting to be put on the hit list of a New York cab driver, Castle ducked back into the car and paid the fare before the driver finally sped off.

A few seconds went by as the two watched the cab leave before Kate said in a deadpan tone, "I actually needed that cab Castle".

"I-uh," Castle stuttered, thinking Kate was angry with him because he was getting one of those trademark looks from her. "I'll get you another one? That guy was kind of a jerk anyways."

Sighing, Kate replied, "No that's okay I might as well sleep here it's practically my home anyways."

Sensing his partner's frustration, Castle said "No you need a good night's sleep. You can't really get one if you're in danger at the precinct."

Kate's blank look told Castle that she had no idea what he meant.

"I mean, of course, the dangers of Ryan and Esposito drawing mustaches on your face with permanent markers, or seeing how loud they can be without waking you up, or-"

"I get your point. I guess I'll just wait around for another cab then."

"Well if you're going to leave me then I guess I'll have to go mess with your desk chair." Kate shot him a look and he quickly said, "Or not. See you tomorrow Beckett."

"See you," Kate replied tiredly.

After Castle walked into the precinct, Kate finally got the attention of a cab, and sat in the back seat.

"Address?" the cab driver asked.

Kate tiredly told him her address and heard him respond "I know" before everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3: Castle

**Disclaimer**: Even though the characters live in my head and I can technically make them do things as my puppets, they are not my original creations.

**Author's Note**: The cab driver in the last chapter was meant to be a cockblock; representative of a certain character on a certain TV show that everyone reading this probably watches who has extremely bad timing.

"This is one crazy case bro," Esposito said, frustrated that although they had a lot of evidence; it was leading nowhere and had been doing so for the past day.

"I agree. Usually I love crazy but this is different. Something about this case is different. I don't know what it is but it's there," Castle said in response, also feeling aggravated.

"Cheer up Castle maybe the CIA is involved which is why we can't find anything," Ryan teased.

"Oh and now I'm being mocked. Thank you for that Ryan," Castle said with feigned hurt.

"Just doing my job," Ryan replied.

"Since when was 'Tease famous mystery writer Richard Castle' on the law enforcement agenda? That actually would explain why I've been getting so many parking tickets lately is that a thing?" Castle said, turning to Esposito for an answer.

"I'm pretty sure the fact that you park in multiple spots at once is why you've been getting parking tickets," Esposito said.

Castle mumbled something while he pulled his phone out of his back pocket. Ryan and Esposito continued their banter while Castle checked his phone for any messages he might have missed from Alexis or his mother. Or Kate for that matter. "Hey have either of you heard from Beckett?" Castle inquired.

Esposito laughed and said, "Bro she went home to catch up on about three days of sleep. She's only been gone for a day. Relax."

Frowning, Castle muttered an "I guess so" before turning his attention to some sort of commotion in Gates' office. She was hurriedly talking to someone in a fancy suit and it looked to be about something serious. The two then seemed to get into a pretty heated argument all the while trying to keep their voices down. Several minutes later when the man walked out of the office, Castle, Ryan, and Esposito looked at blank pieces of paper and acted very interested in them as if they hadn't been watching the conversation. The man shot them a quick look before walking into the precinct elevator.

"I bet you he was from internal affairs," Esposito said.

"Why? How would you know?" Castle asked quizzically.

"One because of the suit and two because the 'dirtbag' aroma is strong with that one," Esposito explained.

Gates then walked out of her office and headed over to the trio. She stood there for a few silent moments before saying, "I need you three to come into my office."

"I'm being included?" Castle said as he jumped out of his chair next to Beckett's desk, thinking Gates was finally accepting that he did play a role in the precinct. "You really are warming up to me aren't you? Now what was it that finally swayed you: my dazzling smile or my shining personality?"

"Now is not the time Castle," Gates said in a strained voice.

Sensing that this, indeed, was not the time for his antics, he followed Gates, Ryan, and Esposito, into the office. Upon entering, the trio acknowledged the presence of a man they had not been able to see when they were watching the conversation earlier.

"This is Mr. Petturi, he's from Internal Affairs," Gates stated. Castle heard a whispered, "I knew it" from his right where Esposito stood. "He's going to brief you on what's going on. In the meantime I'm going to… get some coffee."

Castle, Ryan, and Esposito exchanged mutual looks of confusion; they knew Gates is not a fan of IA and would not allow people from that department to talk to her precinct without her being there. Something was wrong and they could all sense it.

Once Gates was out of the office, making sure to close the door behind her, Petturi stood from his chair in the corner and said, "Please; take a seat." None of them sat down. "Very well," he continued, "How is your current case going? The Thurgood case."

Thinking this was small talk; the three men simply stared down Petturi. "I mean it. How is the case going? It is relevant here," he stated.

"It's going nowhere, now what is this about?" Esposito replied while crossing his arms in front of him, not willing to reveal anything to the man.

"Petturi," Castle began with a serious expression on his face, "your name makes me think of pasta," he finished. After receiving a glare from everyone else in the room he asked of Petturi, "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid one of your own has gone missing and we have received a ransom note," Petturi stated.

Ryan, Esposito, and Castle all looked at each other before something clicked in Ryan's head and he said, "Beckett…" and trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I knew something was wrong!" Castle erupted. "Where is she? Who has her? What do they want?" He was angry. Nobody should be able to touch his Kate. She was in enough danger when she was doing her job; she was supposed to be safe outside of it.

Esposito said nothing but his hands were shaped into fists and his gaze was directed towards the ground. He looked angry; as if he wanted to hit something as hard as he could.

"Now calm down, yelling will not solve anything," Petturi said calmly.

"Show us the note," Esposito stated while gazing up at Petturi to look him strait in the eyes.

"I can't do that-" Petturi started before being interrupted by the livid voices of three angry men who had just learned that someone they cared deeply about had been kidnapped.

"Quiet!" Petturi shouted over the three of them, losing his calm and collected appearance for a brief moment before regaining his composure. They all stopped yelling and waited for him to continue. "I can't show you the actual note however I can tell you what the demands were. They want information on the case. Apparently your victim was involved in something big or this would not be happening. "

"Or what," Castle said in barely a whisper.

"Excuse me?" Petturi asked, not hearing Castle.

"I said, 'Or what'. What are they going to do to her if we don't have the information? Or if we don't tell them what they want to hear?" Castle said, trying to keep his voice level and calm but failing as his voice cracked at the end of his question.

Petturi paused for a moment to say, "They're going to kill her."


	4. Chapter 4: Beckett

**Disclaimer**: Sadly I neither own ABC nor Andrew Marlowe therefore by law of logic I do not own Castle. Let me go cry in a corner about it.

**Author's Note**: It was fun leaving you with that ending but sorry it's taking longer to get new chapters up; I have final exams for the next week but after that it's summer so I should be able to update regularly. (Also more reviews will give me more incentive to write faster, hint hint)

When Kate woke up, she squinted to try and see through the darkness surrounding her. While her sense of sight was taking its time to adjust, her hearing was quicker to do so and she took note of the sound of dripping water, an electric buzz in the air, and the faint noise of two men arguing. She knew she had been drugged based on how sluggish she felt, but couldn't tell what it was they had used. As a tingling sensation moved throughout Kate's body she slowly began to regain bodily functions and was able to wiggle her fingers but not much more since, she realized with disdain, she was strapped down to a table.

"Oh great," she mumbled before she heard the slow squeak of a door opening from somewhere to her right. Or was it coming from behind her? Whatever they had used to knock her out really messed up her perceptions.

"Wonderful, Detective Beckett; you are finally awake," a man said.

Squinting to try and find where the man was in the dim room Kate responded, "Who are you? Why is it so dark in here?"

The man chuckled and his voice moved closer to her as he said, "The second question you ask is not our demands but why it is so dark in this room. Interesting." Kate then heard a small squeaking noise that she took as the man sitting on something next to her, probably a stool or a chair.

Frowning, Kate said, "You do realize you rudely captured me when I was on my way home to sleep right? I'm warning you, I get grumpy. And when I get grumpy I wonder why rooms are dark and if it's because the people who captured me are too cowardly to show their faces. Could you guys not afford the electric bill for this place or something?"

The shiver that went up Kate's spine told her that the man was smiling at her. Could this place get any creepier?

"I assure you, money is not a problem for us," the main replied.

"Us. Who is us?" Kate asked, getting impatient.

"You will find that out eventually. You're here for us to get information from you, not for you to get information from us. Although I'm sure being a detective you must have the instinct to ask a lot of questions, I recommend you do not ask them because we may get angry with you."

Piecing together what the sound of dripping water and the electric buzz could imply, Kate decided to be more cautious with what she said to the man. Judging by how calm he was, he and his "lackeys" were definitely dangerous and possibly have done this before.

After a slight pause, the man said, "Good, I see you understand. Now let's get down to business."

Kate's mind made an inappropriately timed connection to the song _I'll Make a Man Out Of You_ from Mulan and she couldn't help but let out a small giggle in spite of the bleak situation she found herself in.

"Is something funny Detective Beckett?" the man said, actually letting his annoyance towards her show through his calm and collected appearance for a moment before regaining his composure.

"No sir, nothing," Kate said, sobering up her expression. "By the way can I not be strapped to this table? It's slightly uncomfortable."

"Only slightly? We may have to change that."

"Had to open my mouth didn't I?" Kate muttered to herself.

"I have a few questions for you. And I assure you if I do not get the answers I want from you you will not find your stay as pleasant as it is right now". There was a short silence before the man asked, "what can you tell me about Emmett Thurgood?"


	5. Chapter 5: Castle

**Disclaimer**: As per usual these characters are not mine even though they might be in my dreams

**Author's Note**: Doods I'm sorry for not updating (but you aren't reviewing!). I've had mega-writing block but you guys the finale though! Caskett is finally canon! Oinvoxicyglkne right?

"So what do they want us to tell them?" Castle asked while looking stone-faced at Petturi. He was trying not to let his emotions get in the way so he could solve this case and get Kate back. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

"Apparently they want a list of people that Mr. Thurgood was in constant contact with," Petturi replied, as calm as ever.

Frustrated, Ryan asked, "Why? What would they do with that information? Who are these people? What is going on?"

"As of right now we have no answers to any of those questions, I'm sorry. I can assure you that we will assemble the best team of detectives we can get to get through this situation and get Detective Beckett back to the precinct safely," said Petturi.

"How long do we have to get them this contact list?" Esposito asked, also attempting to contain his emotions and focus on solving the problem.

In response, Petturi looked down at his feet for a moment before moving his gaze to look Esposito in the eyes, "According to the note we have seven hours from when they sent the note to have the information and get it to them. Since we received the note about a half hour ago I assume we should estimate we have maybe six hours left to figure this out."

"The contact list will be easy to get, so we should be able to dedicate most of our time to finding the answers to our own questions like why the hell these people want this list so badly that they would capture Beckett," Ryan said as a plan started to formulate in his mind.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud commotion beginning by the elevator that opened into the 12th precinct. The four men simultaneously looked towards the noises to see a group of five professionally-dressed men and women who had exited the elevator and were now walking towards the office. Castle, Ryan, and Esposito turned to Petturi with questioning looks on their faces, wondering if he knew anything about the people who were coming towards them but only saw a look of confusion that mirrored their own on Petturi's face.

When they arrived at the office, one of them stepped forward at to distinguish himself from the group and stated, "We need to speak with Captain Gates immediately where is she?"

"Who are you?" Castle asked without hesitation.

"We work for the government," the same man replied. It was obvious that whoever this person was, he was in charge.

"Which part of the government?" Ryan questioned.

"We are not authorized to tell you that. Now where is your Captain?"

"Not authorized? Why don't you-" Castle began to seethe. He was tired of having no answers.

At that moment, Gates walked in and shot Castle a look that sent the message 'Down boy' which shut him up. "How may I help you?" Gates asked of the man.

"Hello ma'am-" the man started.

"Sir," Gates corrected. Although she was clearly outranked by whoever these people were, she still stood up for herself.

"I'm sorry. Sir. We need to speak with you about one of the investigations we have become aware of that is going on in this precinct." He then looked at Ryan, Esposito, Castle, and Petturi for a moment before returning his gaze to Gates and saying, "We need to speak privately about this matter."

"Very well," Gates said despite the protests that had already started coming out of those who had just been asked to leave.

After the four men left the office, Castle sighed heavily as he sat down at his chair next to Kate's desk. He liked the chair. Even though it hadn't originally been put there for him, he used it more than anyone else and it was a symbol to him that he would always be at Kate's side.

Esposito and Ryan stood close to where Castle sat while Petturi stood at a distance looking like a lost lamb.

"I wouldn't be surprised if this governmental interruption had to do with Beckett," Ryan contemplated.

"Why do you think that?" Esposito asked his partner.

"Seems like everything is about that doesn't it?" Ryan said simply.

Esposito murmured an agreement as Castle observed the conversation that was going on in the office. He knew a bit of how to lip-read and although he was confident Gates would brief them afterwards, Castle wanted to know everything as it happened. He couldn't make out much, but he could definitely tell that these people were very highly ranked; Gates had visibly flinched when they showed her their credentials.

"If this is about Kate, these people mean something even bigger is going on," Castle remarked.

"Hey, we're going to find those bastards and take them down," Esposito said, trying to reassure himself of that as much as he was attempting to cheer up Castle.

The meeting in the office was now over and the group of government workers strode out first with Gates following. She walked with them to the elevator and once they were gone her demeanor became slightly more relaxed. She then walked over to where Castle now stood next to Ryan and Esposito and said, "I can't tell you much but I can tell you this. Whatever is going on is not something that I have ever experience before."

"And?" Castle probed for more information.

Gates paused before a look of disdain came over her face and she said, "They're taking over the case."


	6. Chapter 6: Beckett

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Castle and truthfully don't want to since nobody can write these characters better than Andrew Marlowe.

**Author's Note**: So yeah apparently my writing ethic has gone down the drain. I have tons of thoughts for this story and it's been hard organizing them. Thanks for sticking with me!

"Why should I tell you anything?" Kate answered the man's question.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're the hostage here," the man said with increasing annoyance. Kate could tell he was already becoming impatient, which was in some sense good because when people are impatient they're more likely to make mistakes.

"I want some answers first, one of them being who you and the man outside are," she stated, disregarding his comment.

"Ah so you heard our…. Disagreement did you? Unfortunate, really. Patay was a good man. He just lost sight of the mission's priorities," the man displayed signs of agitation and seemed to truly be sorry about whatever had happened to the other man.

"So what is your mission and what are these 'priorities'," Kate asked, seizing the opportunity to pry for as much information she could possibly get from him.

"We have a name, one that I will not tell you, but I can tell you that what we did by killing Thurgood, was not something we should be punished for."

"Why should you not be put behind bars for killing an innocent man?" Kate said as her anger rose. This man and whatever group he belonged to seemed to have no sense of morality if he thought killing a simple journalist was permissible.

"Thurgood was the evil man, Detective Beckett. Don't you understand? His death was for the betterment of society. We are not the bad guys here. You can help make the world a better place!" The man's voice had risen in excitement and now lowered back to a state of calm, "All I need from you is a list of his main contacts so we can deal with them. Even one name would help. One name is all I'm asking."

"And by 'deal with' I assume you mean kill? There is no way I would give you information that would allow you to kill innocent people!" Kate said with both annoyance and fury. They couldn't really expect her to cooperate.

"Detective, we imagined this happening, that you would not understand that what we are doing is helping society by ridding it of men such as Thurgood. But I assure you, we will get it regardless of whether you tell us or not."

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?"

"We sent a message to the NYPD telling them we will kill you if we don't get the information we need in the next six hours," the man stated matter-of-factly.

Kate was startled for a moment but then said with all the confidence she could muster, "They won't give it to you." It was hard for her to think that the people who cared about her would allow her to die like this, but she did think they would if it meant averting a bigger crisis and the loss of more lives. If the NYPD didn't comply and she was killed, Kate would hold no grudge against them; she knew the job came first. Castle was another story though. He wasn't a cop and no matter how much time he spent at the precinct and participating in cases, he just didn't have the cop mentality. If it came to it, he would be the one to push the people at the 12th to give up the contact list or he'd find a way to get it to these people himself.

"On the contrary. We feel confident they will have no trouble deciding to help us out. That is why we sent the note in the first place."

"Then why bother asking me if you're so sure they'll help you? You clearly did your research on me if you knew my address, my name, and my connections. You'd think it would be obvious I'm not the type to aid criminals based on the clear fact that I'm a detective," Kate said trying to analyze the situation as well as she could.

"We do know everything about you. We know about your mother and that finding her killer has been the driving force in your life ever since it happened. We know that people involved in that same case end up dead. And we know of your relationship with Richard Castle." The man paused for a moment before continuing, "He is the weak link in your 'connections', Detective Beckett. We are not so dim-witted as to think professional NYPD detectives would hand over the contacts of Thurgood to meet our demands; but it's obvious that Castle will do anything to keep you safe."

Although stunned at how much they knew, Kate was sure not to let that show. She had been told too many times that her emotions were written on her face. "Castle and I don't have a relationship-" she began before the man next to her scoffed loudly. Kate glared at him and continued, "He's the writer and I'm the muse. That's all it is." Eager to change the subject, she said "So since you guys seem like the type to just vanish off the face of the Earth when you don't want to be found, why don't you just tell me who you are?"

The man was curiously looking at her as he decided on whether to tell her or not. He knew that he and his followers were indeed the type that could disappear whenever they wanted to so they couldn't truly be in danger of being discovered, but he still didn't know how he felt about someone outside of their group knowing everything they knew.

After a minute or so of the man deliberating, Kate tried again, "How about you start with your name?"

"I have gone by many names in my life. But my birth name is Troy. How fitting that it means soldier being that I fight for the good of the United States," Troy ruminated. "My current name is Duke. Leader."

This guy really is crazy, Kate thought, saying he's helping the country by killing. "Okay well I'm going to call you Troy if that works for you," she said trying to establish some sort of personal connection with him.

At that moment there was a soft knock at the door Troy had originally entered through. "Excuse me for a moment Detective Beckett," Troy said as he stood from his chair next to the table Kate was still strapped to.

"Yeah not like I can go anywhere," Kate muttered as she looked at the ropes tied around her and Troy walked towards the door.

The conversation happened in hushed tones and she couldn't hear a word that was exchanged between Troy and the other man. Judging by the quickness of their speech, Kate guessed that whatever was happening she wouldn't like it.

"Thank you," Kate heard Troy say before the other man nodded, glanced at Kate, and left the room. Troy then began to walk back to the chair.

"Well Detective something unfortunate and unexpected has come up," he said, not sounding like he really cared all that much.

"Since I know you won't tell me what exactly it is, why don't you tell me what it means for me?"

"It means the deadline for that list just got moved up," Troy stated.

Fear creeping into her voice, Kate hesitated before asking, "To when?"

"We're giving your people half an hour. Then it's game over," he responded with no remorse in his voice.


	7. Chapter 7: Castle

**Disclaimer**: Again, these are not my lovely creatures they belong to ABC and Andrew Marlowe

Castle suppressed the desire to start laughing hysterically when he heard Gates say this group of people from the government was taking over the case. It had to be a joke. This couldn't happen. If they took the case then what? Did they expect the 12th to just stand by and watch or act like cheerleaders and wave pompoms at them? They couldn't really think they'd just stand down that easily. Government or not, Castle would let nothing get in his way of finding Kate.

"They can't be serious right?" Castle said nervously, shaking off the desire to laugh knowing it would not be appropriate.

"I'm sorry Castle…" Gates looking at him and her voice was laced with sorrow as it trailed off.

Ryan and Esposito were too busy glaring at the elevator the group from the government had left through minutes ago to voice the concerns they too felt towards the situation.

"No," Castle said with growing rage. "No no no! They can't do this!"

Trying to remain calm although it was clear Gates was just as upset as Castle was, her voice was strained as she said, "I'm afraid they can. Their rank individually practically outranks all of us put together."

"What part of the government are they from," Ryan more stated than asked as he and Esposito rejoined the conversation.

"I- I'm not authorized to tell you," Gates mustered, clearly upset about that fact.

"Why should that stop you?" Esposito said angrily. After realizing he had just yelled at his boss, his anger faded and he apologetically said, "I'm sorry. It's just what are we supposed to do? Just let them take over finding one of our detectives? One of your detectives? I don't think I can do that and I don't think you can either."

After a brief silence, Gates said, "Come to my office the three of you."

Castle, Ryan, and Esposito all nodded and followed her. When they got to the office Gates stood behind her desk and they stood on the other side waiting to hear what she knew.

"They're from a group called the Guardians," Gates stated once they were all situated.

Castle, not knowing all that much about the workings of the government, turned to shoot a questioning look at Esposito for an explanation but Esposito just shrugged with a confused look on his face. He didn't know the group either. That wasn't comforting at all.

Seeing that nobody in the room knew what this meant Gates went on to explain, "They protect governmental groups that nobody knows about. Basically they are one of the most covert operations in the entire country. You don't hear about them because most people don't even know they exist."

A moment of silence passed as this information sank in. Ryan then asked, "So what does that mean about what's going on with Beckett?"

"She's been captured by a group that wants to eradicate one of the secret societies the Guardians have been assigned to protect," Gates stated.

"Well that's not good," Castle said quietly.

"Although it means we can't get involved anymore it might actually be for the better. They may not be detectives or police officers, but they have connections that can help," Gates responded.

At that moment, the phone in the office began to ring. The three men all glanced at the phone and then turned to leave but were motioned to stay by Gates. They weren't done talking yet.

Gates picked up the phone and said, "Hello this is Captain Gates of the NYPD how may I help you?"

A few seconds later her facial expression completely changed to one that was a mix of anger and fright. Something was wrong. Her hand shook as she moved the receiver away from her ear and held it out towards Castle. "It's them. They want to talk to you."

Understanding her meaning, Castle tried to maintain his composure as he took the receiver from Gates and put it to his ear. "Give her back now and nobody will get hurt," he said into the phone. It was his turn to do the hostage negotiation.

"We give her up when you give us the information," Troy said on the other side of the phone.

"We still have five hours," Castle said matter-of-factly.

"No, you don't. Deadline got moved up. You have half an hour from right now."

"What?" Castle shouted. "You can't do that!"

"As a matter of fact we can. We are in control here. You have half an hour Mister Castle."

Sensing the man on the other side was about to hang up Castle said, "Wait!"

Castle heard a deep intake of breath on the other line before Troy said, "What is it?"

"I need to know she's okay. Let me talk to her."

After a moment of deliberation, Troy said, "Very well." He then put the receiver up to Kate's ear. "Tell him you're fine," he ordered.

"Kate?" she heard Castle say anxiously.

It was then that Kate realized what she had to do. She really had no choice. Kate knew Castle would willingly give anything as long as he knew she would be okay in the end, and as much as Kate appreciated that she also knew it wasn't always for the best. These people would get the information they wanted and then disappear for a while before they would strike unexpectedly. She might as well be letting Castle hand over death certificates to the people whose names were on the list. Her duty to New York and, at a larger scale the United States, was above the feelings she had for Castle that she hid for the past few years. There was no way Kate Beckett, NYPD, would let any secrets be given to people who would clearly use the information to harm others.

Hearing heavy breathing on the other line as Castle waited to hear her voice as confirmation that she was alive, Kate's face became solemn. She didn't want to put the man she cared so much about through what she was about to do but she had made up her mind.

"Castle…" she whispered as she started to tear up. "We're at Madison and J-" Kate rushed to say before the loud 'bang' of the gun went off.

On the other side of the phone, Castle heard the gunshot followed by the click of the line going dead as his world stood still.


	8. Chapter 8: Castle

**Disclaimer**: The words on the page are mine but the characters and world belong to ABC and Andrew Marlowe. Yadda yadda yadda.

**Author's Note**: I realize I'm really bad at updating and I'm sorry about that I'm trying to do better. If it helps I do feel sorry about that last cliffhanger ;]

Castle couldn't move. He was paralyzed with the fear that Kate, his Kate, had just possibly been killed and he'd heard it happen. He had let it happen. It was his fault. He should have been able to do something. Anything. There was no way he could know if she was okay or not, but in this line of work Castle had learned from Kate to always assume the worst. Everyone in the office had their eyes on Castle as he slowly attempted to regain his composure and, despite how much his hand was shaking, extended his hand out to give the phone receiver back to Gates. She took it and slowly put the receiver down where it belonged on the desk. After everything he had been through with Kate he thought if they were going to die it would be together. He never imagined it would happen like this. She couldn't have just been killed. Not alone. She had been alone enough in life she didn't need to be alone in death too.

Everyone in the room was too scared to ask what had just happened and what Castle had just heard. Seeing the ghostly white color that now was painted on Castle's face as he blankly stared at the ground by his feet was enough to know something had gone wrong. Very wrong.

The silence was deafening. Castle's blood rushed through his head and all he could hear was the rapid rate of his heartbeat as he thought of all the things he and Kate had done together. And all the things they may not ever be able to do. Because now she was… The ugly four-letter word that came only with grief and pain popped into Castle's head and he tried to get it out. _Katherine Beckett is not dead,_ he repeated over and over to himself as if saying it continually would make it impossible not to be true. He couldn't allow himself to think anything else. If he did, he would just fall apart.

"Castle…" Ryan said; the first one to speak through the thunderous silence. He waited a moment to see if Castle responded and when he didn't he asked, "What happened?"

Gates, Esposito, and Ryan looked expectantly at Castle as they waited for him to answer the question they'd all been thinking from the moment the phone had been put back down. Upon getting no reaction at all from Castle as his gaze remained fixated on the ground, Esposito walked over to Castle and hit him on the side of his face just hard enough for it to hopefully get him out of his stupor.

"Castle, tell us what's going on. Tell us what he said," Esposito said as his voice wavered with a tinge of anger. Although he was sure by Castle's face that the news would not be something he wanted to hear, he needed to know what had transpired.

After another brief pause, Castle finally looked up into Esposito's eyes and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Th-there was…" his voice trailed off and he looked as if he wasn't going to be able to continue.

"There was what Castle?" Gates asked trying to ease the answer out of him.

"A… a gunshot," Castle was finally able to get out before looking back down to the ground. He could handle writing about murders, going to crime scenes, and even helping break the bad news to families, but this was something far beyond all of that. This was about Kate. His partner. No, not his partner. She was more than that and they both knew it.

The stern features Esposito had moments ago transformed into a look of defeat and disbelief. Gates' and Ryan's facial expressions mirrored that of Esposito as they all went through a similar train of thought that Castle had just ventured through. There was just no way Kate Beckett could be gone. Just like that, in a flash.

Ryan started as his voice wavered, "Do you…" His voice suddenly got stronger and he finished, "Do you know if it hit her?"

Without looking up, Castle answered, "If I've learned one thing from her it's to always expect the worst when something like this happens."

"But you don't know for sure?" Esposito joined in.

"No, but-" Castle started before being interrupted.

"Detective Beckett is a strong woman Mr. Castle. You know that. You know there's the possibility she is perfectly fine and yet you're stuck on thinking of the worst case scenario. Why is that?" Gates asked.

"I just… I can't lose her," Castle said looking at Gates with concern filling his shimmering blue eyes. The tears he was trying to hold back were becoming harder and harder to keep from falling.

"Castle, you are always the one to see the positives in these situations. You need to be able to do that right now, okay?" Gates continued as she tried to get him refocused so they could all try to figure out the case without too much negativity getting in the way.

A glimmer of surprise flashed across Castle's face as he received encouragement from a woman he thought believed he was a waste of space in the precinct. Castle's resolve began to form as he realized the importance of trying to keep a clear head at this time; or at least as much as it was possible to do so. "Right. Kate Beckett is not dead," Castle said out loud to make it real to everyone who was there.

Ryan, Esposito, and Gates simply nodded to acknowledge that this was the way they were approaching the situation.

"We need to get to work," Ryan stated. "Before the Guardians get back and find out what's going on and try to take over again."

"There's no way they are taking this away from us," Esposito said.

"So where do we start?" Castle asked.

After a moment of thought, Esposito asked of Gates, "Did the Guardians tell you which secret society our guy Thurgood belonged to?"

Gates closed her eyes to think for a few seconds before reopening them and replying, "Hmm no I don't believe they did tell me that."

Jumping on the idea of a starting point, Castle said, "That sounds like a good place to start. We find out which one he was in then we can see what kind of people want to get rid of them. Then we can-"

Castle was interrupted by the faint sound of a police siren coming from his pocket. That was the sound it made when Kate texted him. For a split second Castle thought perhaps she had escaped and was texting to tell him where she was before realizing that wouldn't make sense.

Digging into his pocket for his phone, he grabbed it and pulled it out to read the message. On the screen it said, "Turn on K.B.'s computer. Now."

Castle showed the text to the other three before they all walked out of the office and towards the desk of the missing detective.

**End A/N**: Woops didn't exactly answer the cliffhanger here. Guess you gotta hang in there until the next chapter now!


	9. Chapter 9: Beckett

The loud noise of the gunshot had startled Kate into a state of shock. After being shot not all too long ago, the sound of the bullet coming out of a gun and the whizz as it sailed through the air towards its target still brought too much of that back. Too much of a memory she wanted and tried so desperately to forget. Kate was frozen in fear. She had half-expected for him to actually shoot her in his evident rage. She almost wanted him to so this situation could be over and nobody else would get hurt. Instead, the bullet had lodged itself into the wall behind her only inches away from her head. Kate hadn't really expected these people to be able to shoot a gun; she thought they were more of the mental interrogation type that didn't use violence.

Turns out she was wrong on that judgment. After her stunt of trying to give Castle her whereabouts, they had unstrapped her from the table, threw her on the ground, and beaten her a few times as punishment. Troy hadn't taken part in the beatings; he was too high up in the ranks to dirty his hands so directly. No, he had several of his followers come in and hit her anywhere and everywhere they could while he watched on with a disgusted yet smug look on his face. He probably wasn't used to things going exactly as planned.

Following that they left her alone laying on the floor for a while as she tried to hide her obvious pain. Both physically and mentally Kate was having trouble coping. The changed situation was now unpredictable. She couldn't know whether Castle and the team would be able to figure out where they were or if they would assume she was shot dead. Suddenly, a sense of deep sadness overcame Kate's features as she thought of how Castle and the others would feel if they thought she was dead. If she ever saw them again she'd be sure to apologize for putting them through that. No not if. When. Kate couldn't afford to think that she wouldn't get out. It was that kind of reasoning that would actually get her killed.

Several minutes after Kate had been given a reprieve from the physical beatings came the mental ones. This time Troy was the one to deliver the punishment.

"Now, Detective, why in hell would you try to pull a stunt like that?" he asked with a tinge of annoyance and anger.

When she didn't answer, he said, "Now we will just have to set a trap in case they somehow figure out where we are. It almost works for the better because now we can prepare for that situation which we honestly had not thought of. It may actually be easier if they just came here. Then we could torture one of them to get information out of the others. Probably start with your boyfriend Castle. I bet if we did anything to him you would tell us everything we want. Or we could just simply kill them."

Glaring at him in defiance, Kate remained silent, refusing to give him any indication of her feelings which she knew he would then use to get into her head. She couldn't give him any leverage or she would be in even more trouble.

Getting annoyed at Kate not responding, Troy said, "I saw your reaction to that gunshot. Therapy not helping you as much as it should?"

Startled, Kate finally broke her silence and asked, "How do you know about that?"

"I told you we know everything Kate, why are you so surprised? Now, since you clearly will not be any more help," he said as he ripped off a piece of duct tape off of the roll and put it over her mouth, "we'll just have to make sure you can't say anything else. You might just get one of us a little bit too angry and then you may be truly dead."

Still disoriented from the beatings, Kate wasn't able to sneak in any clues for the people at the 12th to use to find her when Troy sarcastically said, "Smile" as he pulled a camera out and snapped a picture of her. It was clearly going to be sent to the precinct to tell them 'Yes, she's still alive but we aren't afraid to hurt her so give us what we want'. It seemed everything just kept going downhill.


	10. Chapter 10: Castle

**Disclaimer**: These beautiful characters (except for Petturi, Thurgood, and Troy) are not mine unless Marlowe and ABC someday just hand over the rights to me for some reason

**Author's Note**: I'm thinking this story will probably be 3 or 4 more chapters and they will probably be longer ones than the others have been. Thanks for reading this far I hope you continue until the end! Also, please review because this is my first Castle multi-chapter and I want to know what you all think of it.

Castle led the group to Kate's computer and by habit took his spot at the chair that was at the end of the desk. He received strange looks from Ryan, Esposito, and Gates which made him get up and then sit at Kate's chair right in front of the computer instead. It was strange for him to sit in her chair; the one she often accused him of changing the height of it to make her legs dangle off. They all crowded around the computer while they tried to be as inconspicuous as possible so as to not alert anyone else in the precinct to what they were doing.

"Wonder what it is now," Esposito muttered as they waited for something to show up on the screen.

His musing was answered immediately when a pop-up took over the screen. Despite the words preceding the picture on the page, all four pairs of eyes jumped straight to the photo. The photo of Kate with a sunken and broken look on her face.

A single tear escaped from Castle's eye as he analyzed the face of the woman he had fallen in love with over the past four years. This couldn't be Kate. She was tough. She'd gone through almost freezing to death, escaping her apartment exploding, even getting shot. There was no way she would be giving up in this situation. But then, in those situations she hadn't been alone. Castle was always there. This time it was different because they couldn't communicate. They were cut off from each other.

Gates and Ryan both had sad expressions while Esposito reacted violently to the picture of the beaten Kate, a person he practically he considered his sister. His fist sailed towards the desk and hit it with a loud 'thud' with such force that it knocked over several of the elephants on the desk.

At that moment, Petturi arrived.

"What's-" he started as he approached the desk and stopped when he was close enough to see the computer screen. "Is that the detective?"

Gates looked at him with some shock as she had not expected him to be back. When the government had come and taken the case from the 12th she assumed they also would have had Petturi taken off of the case as well. Not wanting to waste time questioning this, Gates replied, "Yes. They just sent us this picture."

"What does it say above the photo?" he asked. Since he wasn't as emotionally attached to the case as the rest of the people gathered around the desk, he was able to have a clearer mind and focus on the task at hand.

Castle glared at him, angry at his ability to remain calm while that picture of Kate was still on the screen, and began to open his mouth to protest about this before the words Petturi said registered. He had completely skipped over the words at the top.

"It says: 'We're not afraid to hurt her. You have half an hour. Be careful of your surroundings,'" Castle read quietly but loud enough for those around the desk to hear.

The last part stuck out to Ryan who repeated, "Be careful of your surroundings? What does that mean?"

Gates surveyed the precinct and said, "I think he's hinting that they have a mole in here watching our every move to make sure we're doing what they want."

"But why would we do that?" Petturi asked. "We're going to give them the information aren't we? We don't want to risk the Detective's life."

Esposito gave a curious glance in Petturi's direction at his sudden expression of concern for Kate's health.

"I just mean that we will give them what they want, then we can get Detective Beckett and she can tell us who they are so we can locate them before they do anything with the information," Petturi explained. "I assume you already have the contact list they requested?" he probed.

"Of course we do we've had it for a while now," Ryan responded quickly with a tinge of annoyance that Petturi would think they didn't have it yet.

"So why don't we just give it to them and this whole thing will be over with?" Petturi asked facing towards Gates who was the next highest authority figure.

"I'd rather we didn't risk them getting away with this information. We need to try and find where she's being held so we can try to get there before the deadline," said Gates with certainty in her decision. Seeing Petturi's confused face, she said, "You weren't here but we got a phone call from them and Beckett was able to give us one street name and part of another as an intersection she's near."

"I see…" Petturi said and his voice trailed off. He thought for a moment while Gates, Ryan, Esposito, and Castle looked on and then he said, "If that's what you want to do and you think that we can do it in the time period we have left than we can try."

Gaining confidence, Castle said, "Of course we can do it. We're detectives."

The last sentence got Castle a few dirty looks and he corrected himself, "Well some of us are anyways. The rest of us are famous novelists who help detectives."

Ryan walked over to his computer and began searching for streets that intersected with Madison and a street that started with a 'J' sound. Or was it a 'G'? He'd try both. Esposito rolled over to Ryan's desk in his chair and looked at the maps with Ryan to make sure he didn't miss anything.

After a couple of minutes of Petturi, Gates, and Castle talking about strategies they could use to enter wherever Kate was being held, Ryan and Esposito walked back over to Kate's desk and put down a pad of paper with a few street names written on it in down on the desk in front of Castle.

"We found a few possibilities: Grand Street, Jackson Street, Gouverneur Street, and Jefferson Street," Ryan informed them.

"Since we don't know whether the second street was a 'J' or a 'G' we were cautious and just looked at possibilities for either," Esposito explained to Petturi who hadn't heard the conversation with Kate on the phone earlier.

Castle glanced at the list before he pulled up a map of New York and started thinking aloud to try and narrow down potential locations. "Grand Street is a pretty major road I don't think they would take her there with so much traffic going by it would be risky," he commented out loud. Then he looked at Gates waiting to hear what she thought about this.

"I agree with Castle I don't think these guys are the type that would hide in plain sight," Gates said in approval of Castle's thinking.

Ryan and Esposito also agreed, nodding their heads to show this. Petturi didn't say anything in response.

"Jackson looks like it's probably our best bet," Ryan said as he pointed it out on the map. "There are a few abandoned houses there and it looks like it's pretty secluded."

Petturi spoke up and said, "What about Jefferson? Couldn't that also be a possibility also?"

"I doubt it," Esposito replied. "The only things on Jefferson are public buildings like the World Buddhist Center and The Educational Alliance," he said as he showed them those places.

"Then what about Gouverneur?" Petturi offered up.

"There's a middle school near there so that most likely isn't the right place either," Ryan said.

"That leaves us with Jackson," Castle said with finality as he stood up from his chair ready to move.

"Shouldn't we inform the Guardians?" Petturi said hesitantly.

So he did know they were involved. Strange that they had kept him along. "We've decided against that. We're taking this into our own hands," Gates said cautiously knowing they needed Petturi to also think this was for the best so he didn't tell the Guardians what was going on.

"I see," Petturi said thoughtfully. "Alright but we must bring the information they want just in case they demand that we trade it for Detective Beckett. That way we can give it to them and assure her safety while allowing them to think they can escape and once they give her to us we can take them down."

Ryan, Esposito, Gates, and Castle all nodded in agreement.

"Let's go," Castle said knowing they could not waste any time. They had slightly over 20 minutes before their deadline was up. It was a good thing Madison and Jackson was only about 5 minutes away because that would give them time to canvas the area and have some time for strategizing before they went to Kate's rescue.

They all went to Ryan's police cruiser before realizing there were five people that needed to fit into the car. Gates simply put her hand out towards Ryan and he gave her the keys. It ended up being Gates driving with Petturi in the passenger seat and Ryan, Castle, and Esposito being squished together in the back seat.

"This is some quality bonding time," Castle said to Ryan and Esposito when they got on either side of him trying to lighten the mood a little bit. They both gave him annoyed looks but they did slightly smile.

Everyone was completely silent for the five minute drive that felt more like a five hour one as they were all lost in thought. They didn't know what they would find at their destination. When they got to the street, they drove slowly down Jackson and looked at buildings that would fit a kidnapper's requirements. They found what they were looking for when they saw a house that looked as if it had been abandoned for decades. The windows were boarded up and the grass was wild, clearly not having been maintained for quite a while. Gates parked the car several houses down; far enough that the kidnappers wouldn't see it and be alerted to their presence but close enough that they could reach it in time if they had to escape on the run.

When the car was shut off, everyone sat in silence for a few brief moments before Castle said, "Alright this is it. Let's go."

"Right," he heard Ryan and Esposito say on both sides of him before they got out of the car followed by Castle.

They all got out their police vests and handed Petturi an extra one that said "Police" on it while Castle took out his "Writer" vest. Castle took a moment to think how poetic it was that the writer was off to save the muse. Esposito handed Castle and Petturi each a gun so they could defend themselves.

They walked in a group down the sidewalk towards the building they had targeted but when they got to the house next door to it, Ryan felt the barrel of a gun being pressed against his back and gasped in shock. This made everyone turn around to see what was going on. Their faces displayed shock as Petturi said, "Give me the contact list or he dies."

**End Author's Note**: Mwahaha this ending makes me feel evil. This is probably what Marlowe feels like when he does something like this to us. By the way, Petturi's name means "traitor" in Finnish but I doubt anyone would ever notice something like that which is why I did it. Just a little detail that I wanted to add in there for funsies.


	11. Chapter 11: Castle

**Disclaimer**: Only a few of these characters are mine but the others belong to ABC and the amazing Andrew Marlowe (who recently tweeted me btw! [I fangirled hard])

**A/N**: This whole longer chapters thing is hard. I've been trying to teach myself guitar lately [not working too well I've already broken two strings] and had a final exam to get done with for my summer class. Anyways here is the next chapter for you! As always please review!

"Petturi?" Castle said with the shock written on his face also evident in his voice. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious writer? You should understand the story," Petturi answered with a sneer. He had a twisted grin on his face as he kept the barrel of his gun pressed into Ryan's back to keep anyone from trying anything.

"If you want the contact list that can only mean that you're working with them. You're working with the people who kidnapped Kate," Castle said with growing anger towards the new situation.

"Correct you are Mr. Castle well done," Petturi said. He then stated, "You move your hand another inch towards your gun and I will shoot him," as in the corner of his eye he saw Esposito's slow but steady attempt to get his gun out.

Esposito moved his hand away from the gun and turned to a new tactic of trying to talk down the traitor, "Okay man, why don't you just let my partner go, we get the Detective back, you turn in your friends down there, and you get quite a reduced sentence?"

Petturi snorted to this suggestion. "Do you really think that's going to work Detective Esposito? I've been undercover for long enough to know that this is your standard bluff tactic. You wouldn't be able to find me and our group if you tried. And you know that which is why you want me to turn them in. I won't do that because they are like my family."

"Well heads up Petturi; your family kidnaps and kills innocent people," Castle said with a tinge of annoyance.

"We do what we must to make the world a better place," Petturi responded coolly.

"And how do you do that?" Gates asked, finally speaking up calmly.

"We rid the world of groups that shouldn't exist. And since I will be leading you all into that house and to your deaths I may as well tell you exactly what it is we do since you will not be getting away. Maybe I can even get you to see that what we do is not wrong. You see, we go after people who are members of secret societies that sometimes function above even the government. Such groups go against all American ideals and our democracy," Petturi said and his voice rose as his passion for the subject showed through.

Ryan slightly shifted his position which caused Petturi to regain his composure and say, "Don't move. I will shoot." After a slight silence, he asked, "Where is the list? Give it to me."

"Now here's a plot twist for you undercover man," Castle said, "we don't have it. We didn't bring it with us."

"What?" Petturi yelled in outrage. "The plan was to bring it! What would you have said to them if they had a gun to your precious Detective's head and you had to trade it for her life?"

Castle had a sad expression on his face that was mirrored by Esposito, Ryan, and Gates.

"You would not have given it to them?" Petturi said still with anger running through his voice.

"We weren't going to let it come to that," Gates said. She then nodded at Castle.

"Hey Petturi?" Castle asked.

Petturi responded with fury, "What is it? What do you want?"

"Your shoe is untied," Castle said pointedly. What happened next occurred very quickly.

Petturi, caught off guard by Castle's statement, looked down for a moment to look at his shoe and before he realized he had been tricked, Ryan jerked his head backwards into Petturi's nose and broke it. This gave Ryan time to maneuver away and Gates to pull out her gun and aim it at Petturi.

"I-" Petturi stammered with one hand up to his nose trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Get up," Gates said in a harsh tone. Petturi slowly stood up and Gates put out her hand towards Esposito who handed her a pair of handcuffs which she then put on Petturi.

To the three boys she said, "We'll take him with us. He can be our leverage to get Detective Beckett back without them wanting the contact list." They all nodded in agreement to this.

Once Castle and Esposito were sure Ryan was okay, Castle lightly laughed and said, "The funny thing is that his shoes don't even have shoelaces and he still fell for it."

"Then why did you choose to go with that line Mr. Castle?" Gates said while glaring in his direction.

"First thing that came to my head," Castle muttered to himself as the group restarted their walk towards the house where Kate was being held.

"Petturi," Gates said with her gun still pointed at him, "what kind of defenses are we facing in that house?"

"Like I would tell you," Petturi retorted.

Esposito moved close to him and said, "If you don't tell us what we'll find in there, we'll just call for backup and tell everyone to shoot on sight. If you do, we may be more inclined to spare the lives of the people you call your 'family'". He almost spat out the last word in disgust.

Sensing that complying was probably the best way, Petturi stated, "All I know is that there will probably be one or two snipers outside of the building and that there will be movement detectors inside the house. I wasn't told much about the setup in there before I was told to capture you all and bring you here."

"Which you did a great job of," Castle said mockingly.

"Just admit how shaken up you are that I managed to get into your little circle and stay there undetected as a spy Mr. Castle," Petturi said.

Castle both could not think of a response to this and ran out of time to do so as they came near the house.

Esposito had the most training in sniping so he could tell where the most likely places they would be were. "Up there on the top right of the roof is one and another is behind a bush close to the gate to the back of the house," he said after he quickly surveyed the area. "I don't think there are any other ones beside those two."

"How are we going to get past them to get in there?" Ryan asked while he turned to face Gates.

After a few moments of silence, Castle slowly said, "I have an idea. But I don't think you guys will like it."


End file.
